Sweep wasn't big but had plenty of quality. Precocious enough to be a juvenile champion, he won top 3-year-old races at up to 13 furlongs, though it must be admitted that he came along in a less than stellar year. He became known primarily as a sire of precocious speed and continued the male line of his sire Ben Brush to another generation but had his most lasting influence as a broodmare sire.

Race record

13starts, 9wins, 2 seconds, 2 thirds, US$63,942

1909:

Won Futurity Stakes (USA, 6FD, Sheepshead Bay)

Won National Stallion Stakes (USA, 5.5FD, Belmont)

2nd Hopeful Stakes (USA, 6FD, Saratoga)

2nd Saratoga Special (USA, 6FD, Saratoga)

3rd Great Trial Stakes (USA, 6FD, Sheepshead Bay)

1910:

Won Belmont Stakes (USA, 11FD, Belmont)

Won Carlton Stakes (USA, 8FD, Gravesend)

Won Lawrence Realization (USA, 13FD, Gravesend)

3rd Brooklyn Derby (USA, 10FD, Gravesend)

Honors

American champion 2-year-old male (1909)

American champion 3-year-old male (1910)

As an individual

Like most of Ben Brush's stock, the little brown Sweep was short-legged and long-bodied, but he had more refinement and quality than his sire. Unfortunately, he was often sore and usually raced in bandages. He was rather sickle-hocked.

As a stallion

Sweep led the American general sire list in 1919 and 1925 and was among the top 10 American general sires on another seven occasions. He led the American juvenile sire list in 1918. He also led the American broodmare sire list in 1937 and 1941, was runner-up among American maternal grandsires in 1938 and 1940 and was third in 1936. According to The Blood-Horse Silver Anniversary Edition (Blood-Horse), Sweep sired 261 winners (66.1%) and 46 stakes winners (11.6%) from 395 named foals. Unlike many major sires of his time, he was essentially a public stallion throughout his stud career.

Foaled in Kentucky, Sweep was bred and owned by James R. Keene. He was trained by James Rowe, Sr. Sweep entered stud at Keene's Castleton Stud in 1911. At the 1913 dispersal sale of Keene's stock, Sweep was purchased for US$17,500 by a syndicate including Charles W. Moore, Kinzea Stone, John Barbee, and J. C. Carrick. From 1914 onwards he stood at Barbee's Glen Helen Stud, where he died on August 22, 1931.

Pedigree notes

Sweep is inbred 4x4 to Alarm and 4x5 to Leamington. He is a full brother to Swan Song, second dam of 1938 Travers Stakes winner Thanksgiving and stakes winner Bud's Bell. Sweep is also a half brother to Curiosity (by ﻿Voter﻿), dam of 1910 American champion 2-year-old male and four-time Brazilian champion sire Novelty (by Kingston) and second dam of the high-class John P. Grier (by Whisk Broom II).

Sweep's dam Pink Domino was produced from Belle Rose (by Beaudesert) and is a half sister to 1913 Futurity Stakes winner Pennant (by Peter Pan), an unsound but speedy horse who became an influential sire, to the crack sprinter Iron Mask (by Disguise) and to stakes winner Transvaal (by Commando). Pink Domino is also a half sister to Cherokee Rose II (by Peter Pan), second dam of 1927 Champagne Stakes winner Oh Say and 1933 Empire City Derby winner Balios and ancestress of a female line that includes Ruffian, Icecapade, Castle Forbes, Epitome, Green Forest, Pine Bluff and Fusaichi Pegasus.

Sweep is one of 205 stallions whose accomplishments at stud are profiled in Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (2006, The Australian Bloodhorse Review), a massive reference work written by Jennifer Churchill, Andrew Reichard and Byron Rogers.

Fun facts

Sweep's Belmont Stakes was one of only five occasions in which only two horses have been entered for the race. The colt beat his hapless rival, Duke of Ormonde, by six lengths.

All of Sweep's stakes winners were sired during his tenure at Glen Helen Stud, as he failed to get a single stakes winner from his two seasons at Castleton Stud. In fairness to Sweep, those first two seasons were severely compromised by the fact that he stood alongside his own sire along with Voter, Celt, Colin, Ultimus and Peter Pan. Sweep's first two seasons at stud were also the years of the blackout of New York racing due to anti-gambling legislation, when American foal crops dropped by over a third from previous levels.

Sweep is the only horse to be the broodmare sire of two American Triple Crown winners. His daughter Brushup is the dam of 1937 champion War Admiral (by Man o' War), while his daughter Dustwhirl produced 1941 victor Whirlaway (by Blenheim II).